Laboratory animals are used like analogs to the human diseases, just as much in gnotobiology, dental investigation, embriology and teratology, oncology, gerontology, cardiovascular investigation, inmunology, parasitology, virology, nutrition, genetics and pharmacology. Even though in Costa Rica, the science of laboratory animals is barely incipient, there is no existing information about animals, the quantity and what are they supposed to be used to.
Since december 13th. 1994 a law was imposed in Costa Rica, the law is called “Law of animals welfare”, however has left undefined important technical aspects and the experimental use of animales. There should be a reference manual, approved by a competent National Authority, about the handling and use of laboratory animals and mainly courses about ethics and techniques of the uses of this biologic reagent directed to the investigators.
The legislature about the use of animals of laboratory in some countries like the United States, England, Canada, Switzerland, Colombia, Australia and Germany are more estrict.
However, since 1992, in Costa Rica soil there was presented a bill that intented to regulate the animals rights proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Animal rights, but nowadays is found archivated.
However in 1993 was published in “La Gaceta” N° 242 on December 20th the bill called “Law of Welfare and Etiology of the animals”, has no direct record to the highlight to the use of laboratory animals in Costa Rica but develops the juridic frame of the Universal Declaration of Animal rights, proclaimed by the National Leagues afiliated to the ONU and yet not suscrited in Costa Rica.